Shallow Opacity
by WindlessHarmony
Summary: It's been eight years since Renji managed to escape the life of a gangster, but that's all about to change when he finds a stranger shot out on the street. Contains; rape, sexual situations, gang violence. Don't like, don't read.
1. Escape

**Okay, so this is the first time I've ever written something like this, so you'll have to bare with me. ^.^; For anyone waiting for the next chapter of Crossing Paths, I'm afraid that it's on hold for now. I haven't been feeling up to finishing it just yet, but I promise that I'm not just going to abandon it~**

**Secondly, all warnings are in the description. This story isn't going to be cute and fluffy in any way, so if you came here looking for that, now is a good time to turn around and leave. You have been warned.**

**This story is plotted out to have nine chapters. Maybe go over, and it'll be written slowly, seeing as how I'm such a bad person when it comes to updates. ^.^; Anyways, hope you all enjoy~**

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The sounds of shouts and painfilled screams echoed through the tattered streets. Grey concrete dripped with blood and rain, the two liquids running together to create garish ruby that painted the streets against the worn stone. In an almost grotesque way, bodies were scattered along the ground, the same crimson paint running from them and mixing to create a surprisingly beautiful battle painting, one that spoke horrors and trivial times of sins and injustices. Some of them wore rain-soaked blue, while others were stuck with red cloth plastered to their cracked and bloodied skin. Among them lay a curled up heap, something that didn't even seem remotely human. Long crimson tresses lay heavily against the torn ground, soaked and weighted.

The strange mass gave a twitch, and unfurled enough to reveal a pained face and black tribal tattoos. They seemed to be a gang marking, and stood out against the strange male's tan skin. His shirt was torn slightly, revealing a gaping hole in the side of his shoulder, and the man was panting from the exertion at the small attempt at movement. Blood was pool between his arms, which were twisted strangely against the ground, slightly pressed against his chest. The rain washed most of it away, leaving streams of life that led to a dying soul, but still, a small pool of crimson gathered directly on the concrete. Around his neck, tied lightly, was a small band of white cloth. He seemed almost neutral, for he wore neither red nor blue, but what he was doing there injured was anyone's guess.

As his ears managed to even out their abilities yet again, the sounds around him quickly escalated into more gunfire. A barrage of shots hit the wall several paces away from him, leaving a shaky line in the chipping stone as a red-banded man raced by. Seconds later, heavy footsteps splashed into a puddle by his head. The injured unknown probably would have been ignored, if not for the groan that left his lips. It was involuntary, but it was there nonetheless.

Pained crimson eyes slid open through a dramatic feat, and his head lolled to the side. He squinted, attempting to keep raindrops from falling into his already reddened orbs. The sight he was met with was a tall male with dark blue hair. Several strands were plastered to his forehead, and he was staring down at the injured one with a solemn look. Around his arm was a band of the darkest blue, matching the color of his glittering eyes. Defined muscles bulged against the black shirt that the sudden person was wearing, and not a single mark was upon his frame, apart from the small circles of blue below his eyes. Another small noise left the redhead as he realized what was pointed at his head.

The metal was shining in the falling rain, slick with the promise of being fired once again. It was a sturdy weapon, made for situations such as these. Gripped firmly in the blue-haired male's hand, the gun seemed to fit perfectly within the gloved contours of the hidden appendage.

And Renji- yes, that was his name- knew he was going to die.

"Ya seem pretty banged up there."

The voice was smooth and dangerous, and Renji wondered why his head was still in one piece. Rain made it hard to focus, but he managed, and turned dying crimson eyes onto the one who had spoken. "Almost like ya aren't gonna live, is what it looks like ta me."

Several more seconds of silence passed.

"What makes me wonder, however, is why a civilian is lyin' out here, shot and bleeding. Ya get caught up with the gang life just recently?" Renji was too weak to answer the words thrown his way. Besides, if he was going to die anyway, then he didn't have to grace this stranger with the last words that he was ever going to speak.

"I could save ya, if you'd like."

Those words brought his reeling mind out of it's daze, and he looked up at the blue-haired man. Although the sounds did not make it into the rain-soaked air, the movement of his lips said it all, "Why?"

Seconds of silence passed between the two of them, and Renji struggled to focus on his face. There was no emotion across those features; they were strong and firm, and spoke the truth of the offer to be saved. "Because someone like you doesn't deserve to die in a battle that isn't your own."

"Heh. Wish someone could have told me that before I decided to take a walk."

Above them, echoes of gunshots and yells still laced the blood-scented sky. Renji watched a bullet soar by the mysterious stranger's head, to which he moved the gun pointed at his own away and aimed in to his left. Without so much as flinching or even sparring a look in the direction, he squeezed the trigger and allowed a silenced shot to soar through the air. Moments later, Renji heard a cry of shock and pain, before a splash as a body tumbled onto the ground.

He winced.

"Heh, rememberin' what ya went through a few minutes ago?" The words were teasing, and it made Renji slightly sick to think someone could kill without remorse. "Tell ya what; I'll save ya, fix ya up, and then send ya on your way. How's that sound?"

Nothing sounded better than those words. Unfortunately, his rescuer had no intention of saving him right at that moment. "If ya can stay alive long enough for me to go save my target, then I'll take ya back with me." What the blue-haired man did do, however, was drag him to the cover of a small overhang. The cloth flapped in the wind, but it stopped some of the cold rain from splashing onto his skin, and for that he was grateful. "Stay here and try not to bleed to death, and I'll see what I can do from there."

Before Renji could get a word in edgewise, the man stalked off.

In the end, Renji managed to surivive long enough for his rescuer, who he later learned was named Grimmjow, to come back for him. Even although it took four days for him to wake up, the redhead managed to pull through. He was still pretty weak, but he awoke.

Because of his unfortunate walking into a gang war, he was sucked into the gang life, never to be allowed a civilian again. He was taught to fight by Grimmjow, given his own gun, and appointed the man's personal guard. They shared everything between one another; thoughts, ideas, whatever dreams they had, life, ect. They joked, and together they seemed to be perfect. Nothing seemed to dampen their relationship, and it only grew stronger as time passed.

It wasn't until about two years after his rescue that he noticed a shift in Grimmjow. It came with the passing of his brother. The man grew cold, and even snapped at Renji on occasion, which confused the redhead. They had become lovers of sorts, and hardly ever grew angry at one another. Sure, they played around and pretending to fight, but this was no playful spare. Grimmjow became distant, and stopped sharing his thoughts with the one closest to him.

And then one day, it all broke.

Grimmjow turned abusive, and nearly killed Renji. But it wasn't quite Grimmjow, because something else was different. The other friends that he had accumulated through their gang, called Pantera, helped him escape. They moved Renji to a new town, gave him a sense of security, and assured him that he would be well-hidden from Grimmjow.

He hasn't seen the man for eight years.

Renji jumped as he realized he was thinking about those times again. He shifted his elbow away from the slanted desk, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to work the cricks in them. He'd been sitting there for a while, pen clasped between his fingers, red eyes staring blankly at an equally blank wall. The redhead had been sitting in this room for a while now, trying to fill out an application for collage. It had been mere minutes and a few sentences before the memories of his past had begun to plague and play with his mind yet again.

Grimmjow flashed through his mind, and his expression dropped slightly; it had been a while since that name, _that face_, had decided to haunt him, and it hurt, oh it hurt. He'd gotten over the man, sure, but that didn't change the fact that everything had happened; he'd fallen, gotten picked back up, and then let fallen again. But he couldn't really call it fallen. More like broken. Yeah, that was a better explanation; he had almost died after all.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, and deciding that nothing would get done at this rate, he capped his pen and stood up, smoothing the jeans and white t-shirt that he wore. In bold black kanji across his chest, followed closely by a twisting dragon, was a small saying, 'never forget.'

Never forget the pain you went through.

Renji placed the papers into a small plastic folder-red, like always- and went to the door.

"You finish already?" He looked up as he shut the door, spotting the silver-haired receptionist sitting at his desk. The man had intellegent eyes and wore wire-framed glasses. He wasn't old, but he wasn't young either, and already had a son. Renji had met him before, and he had been offered help in the form of tutoring, but he had never taken the younger one up on the offer. The good thing about them being somewhat friends was that Ryuuken, the receptionist, was also a doctor. He worked at the hospital in town, and from what Renji had heard, he was quite good at his job. It was always a good thing to know a doctor, that was for sure.

"Nah, I'm too distracted today. I'll finish it tonight and bring it in tomorrow. Sound good?" A sharp look was thrown his way, and Renji gave a feeble smile. "I promise, I promise! I won't be late this time!" Ryuuken sighed. "As long as you can get it all in by tomorrow, I don't mind." Renji said a silent victory in his mind, before trotting off.

"I won't disappoint you, Ryuuken-san!"

He got a dismissive wave of the hand and grinned, slipping into the elevator.

His walk home was uneventful and dark. He had spent all day at the college, trying to find a way to get in. In fact, that was where he spent most of his time now. It was a nice place, and he desperately wanted to get accepted into it. Renji yawned, gripped his bag strap tighter, and continued trotting down the empty streets. Everything was calm, and he was grateful for nights like these. That is, until several gunshots tainted the air.

The redhead dropped to the ground out of instinct, for this is what he had done nine years prior, when he had been the young age of seventeen. He was twenty-seven now, but that hadn't dulled any of his skills.

When it became apparent that the shots were not directed at him, Renji glanced around and stood. He had been through this before, only then he hadn't known what to do, and had gotten shot down. The scar was still there, right below his ribs on his left side; it still ached from time to time. He, being the curious person that he was, wanted to know what the hell the shots had been fired for. Or at, rather. Renji slid through the alleyway, even though he honestly had no idea where he was supposed to go, or if he was even going in the right direction, but he went anyway. Curiosity killed the cat, so to speak.

He honestly didn't know what he had been expecting. The redhead was probably expecting to find nothing, so when he did come across something, or someone, rather, he felt his heart drop. But what made his heart drop even more was the blood slowly leaking from the twisted frame before him. His eyes widened, and Renji spotted the single object lying on the ground near his feet. To anyone who didn't know the signs and things that gangs used to distinguish themselves, it would have been a simple piece of cloth, but he knew exactly what it was.

The cloth was blue. It was tattered and covered in crimson, but blue.

Which only meant one thing.

They were back.

Horror filled him, and took a shaky step backwards. No, they couldn't be here, not here of all places. If they were back, that meant that Grimmjow was here too. And if Grimmjow was here, then he was most certainly looking for Renji.

He glanced up at the bleeding heap before him. Were they a member of Pantera as well, or were they someone who had opposed them or stolen from them, and ended up here? But he knew, in that moment, that if he helped the dying stranger, then he would once again be sucked into a life that he had done everything to escape.

But if he didn't, they would die, cold and alone out on the streets.

His mind was already made up, and he reached a hand out to gently touch the unknown person. A groan answered him, and Renji apologized once before rolling the form over. The cracks along the ground were already filled with the dark spills of blood. It looked like ink, and he shuddered at the similarity. Crimson eyes, brighter than the liquid along the ground, slid over the stranger's form. It was a man, with a horribly scared face. His other cheek was tattooed with a 69, and Renji paused for a moment, looking at it, tracing it with his eyes.

He glanced back at the man's face, and reached up to tug at the strange metal collar around his throat. It brought another groan from the mystery man's body, and Renji realized how much this reminded him of his own situation nearly ten years ago. His eyes roamed over the man's body, and picked out two distinct wounds along his form. One looked like a scratch from the sideswipe of a bullet, and that was located on his right side. Didn't look too bad, but it was bleeding badly, which was probably the reason for most of the blood along the concrete. The other wound was more complicated, however.

There was a hole there, and Renji assumed that the bullet was still lodged inside. It was deeply imbedded in the dark-haired male's left thigh, and blood was steadily oozing from the wound. "Hey, you can still walk right? I certainly can't carry you back to my apartment." He watched as watery grey eyes opened to look at him, and he sighed softly, realizing that the man could at least manage that much. The progress was slow, but he eventually managed to pull the stranger into a somewhat standing position- well, he was sort of leaning on Renji, but whatever. He was just glad that the male was small, otherwise there would be some problems.

With that in mind, Renji stumbled off towards his apartment, almost dragging his injured tagalong as he hurried onwards. They didn't speak a word, the silence broken by the sound of their panting as they attempted to get to a safe place. The redhead already knew what he had gotten himself into, and he wasn't quite sure he regretted it yet. But he knew he would be soon, for nothing went unnoticed in such a place as this.

Their progress was slow, but eventually he managed to get the stranger to his apartment. The door creaked as it slid open, the floors squeaking in protest as he hefted the now unconscious stranger onto the couch. Renji took a gasp of air, before he made his way to the bathroom and dug around in the cupboard for the first aid kit. His home was small, and he was barely getting enough money to live, but it was decent enough, for him anyway. Wasn't like anyone else lived there with him, until now that is.

The box was cold and heavy as he finally found it. Renji pulled it from the cupboard and headed back into the living room, the plastic unfamiliar against his fingers. He dropped his bag, which he hadn't realized he was still holding, onto the floor. He popped the first aid kid open, glancing at the things inside as he attempted to remember how to treat wounds.

It had been awhile, but eventually he wrestled the bandages from their case, dropping several balls of cotton onto the carpet. He didn't quite know what to do for the bullet in the stranger's leg, but he would at least try something. Renji dabbed some of the peroxide onto one of the cotton balls before moving it around the scrape in his guest's side. He heard a hiss of pain leave those lips and froze, glancing up at the stranger. "Fuck, that hurts." They were the first words that the redhead had heard the man utter. His voice was rugged, but it was laced with a tone that Renji had never heard before. It was an almost submissive type of sound to his words, as if he expected to get struck across the head due to the outburst. It rasped against Renji's ears, and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Of course it does; you just got shot." As soon as he said that, eyes snapped open and the stranger attempted to sit up. He didn't get very far, and groaned as his leg arched off of the couch. "Shit, I didn't think they actually hit me." The redhead went back to cleaning the wound without stopping, causing a noise of surprise to leave the male he was tending to. "It's only gonna hurt worse if you don't let me treat it," he said matter-of-factly. Without further protest, the brunette relaxed against the couch below him. The only signs that signaled he was still awake was the occasional twitching in those muscles as Renji wrapped cloth around his middle in an attempt to stave the bleeding from his side.

"Now ... are you gonna tell me your name?" Renji asked, sitting back.

Silence met his question, and he wondered briefly if his guest had passed out once more. He figured he wasn't going to get an answer, until a tan arm shifted to reveal pained grey eyes.

"The name's Hisagi Shuuhei," he said with a shrug.

Renji pressed his hands against his thighs, giving a nod. "Right then. My name is Abarai Renji, and I want to know why I found you shot in an alley." He didn't mention the blue cloth that signified 'Pantera.' That would be best kept a secret, for anyone who knew about the gangs and weren't a member were just as easily killed as a pebble was stepped on.

"Heh, you probably won't believe me. I'm part of this gang that's been centered in Eastern Japan for about fifteen years. I refused to do something that their leader asked me to, so he kicked me out, chased me down, and attempted to kill me here in this little place. Guess I didn't die like he was hoping," Shuuhei said with a smirk, as if he found the entire situation amusing.

Renji didn't.

"So you ended up in that alley cause you disobeyed your leader?" His answer was a nod, and Renji stood up, setting the first aid kit onto the glass coffee table. "I hope you know that you owe me big time for saving your ass. This isn't exactly the world that I wanted to become entangled in again. Thirsty?" He asked, walking into the kitchen without waiting for an answer. A call of yes echoed through the tiny apartment.

It was most certainly Pantera, which meant that they were probably still prowling around the town. They had been centered here once, a long time ago, and knew the place well, for it was Renji that gave them the grand tour. He sighed, and swiped the coffee pot from the shelf with a bit more force than he probably needed. "I didn't want to get caught up in this again," he murmured quietly, pressing a hand to his tattooed forehead. If he got lost in the world of the gangs and their wars once more, it was only a matter of time before he came across Grimmjow again. And there was nothing to suggest that Grimmjow would let him go free.


	2. Caretaker

Their first two days of living together had been spent in uncomfortable silence. Renji had many questions that he wished to ask Shuuhei, but the look that was constantly placed upon that face forced him to stay silent.

It was a distant look, the edges of his face burdened by a pain that refused to fully show itself. The darkness under those eyes spoke of sleepless nights and unpleasant days. Shuuhei's grey eyes seemed to be more of a dull white than anything living. His scars stood out in stark contrast to the rest of his features, and those seemed to hold most of the pain that Renji could see Shuuhei suffering. But the pain wasn't physical, even with the bullet in his leg and the gash in his side. No, Shuuhei was suffering mentally, and there was nothing that Renji could do about it.

He brought the warm cup of tea to the brunette curled up on his couch, nudging his shoulder. "Hey, I brought you something. Drink up." It was several moments before any sign of wakefulness showed on the man's body. But finally, a finger twitched, and with a groan of the unwillingly awakened, Shuuhei rolled over. Another few moments passed before he was able to grip the cup.

Renji hadn't been able to do anything for the bullet in Shuuhei's leg. He couldn't exactly call Ryuuken; he didn't want the man to get involved in a world as dark as this. There was someone else, but they didn't quite know how to keep their mouth shut. No matter what, if Renji didn't do something soon, Shuuhei was going to die, plain and simple. He was already weak from the wound; it was slowly sucking away whatever energy he had.

Renji settled on the chair to right of the couch, leaning back into the familiar cushioning. It groaned and protested against his weight, but it held firm. At least for the moment.

When their silence had grown almost intolerable, he opened his mouth to speak, but Shuuhei beat him to it. "I need to get out of here. Find a nice place to hide out for a few days." This was the second time the brunette had ever spoken to him, besides their first conversation. But Renji understood perfectly what the phrase 'hide out' meant; Shuuhei was going to find a place of his choice where he could pass on without anyone noticing. It was as commonplace as the term 'going out,' which meant you were sneaking out to find a prostitute of some kind.

He scowled.

"If you honestly think I'm going to let you go die, you're wrong," the redhead said with a small huff, which seemed more like a tired sigh than anything. He wasn't going to pretend that he didn't understand such a notion; he knew all too well the horrors that gang violence brought about. One of his old friends had once said the same thing to him, bid him a good night, and went on his way. They'd found him in a nearby garden, frozen stiff with crystals from the winter air. In a sick way, his body had been beautiful, covered in frost and wrapped in a blanket of snow. It was as if an angel had touched him in the night and protected him from death until the very end. A strange notion, but Renji had believed in angels back then. Now they were nothing but demons nipping at his heels.

"Why not? I've got no where else to go. Better to go find my place of choice, right?" Renji narrowed his eyes, meeting that glassy grey gaze. A look that might have been just as fierce was returned, but it was weakened considerably. Such a look might've intimidated him once, but not now.

"Look, Shuuhei; I'm not going to let you go find a place to die. Plain and simple. I'm going to fix you up and send you on your merry way. Just hope you know that when they went back to get your body and you weren't there, they're gonna be searching until they find it. You've pulled me back into a world that I've fought hard to forget, and it's gonna cost ya. You can stay here until you recover, but that's it. After that, you forget you ever met me; forget my face, where I live, why I helped you, where I found you. _Everything._ Got it?"

The silence was almost suffocating afterwards. Their gazes were still connected, but after several seconds Shuuhei looked away. Renji caught a flicker of what looked like disappointment or sadness. "I understand," he mumbled. The redhead felt a momentary pang of refusal, as if his heart wasn't okay with what his mind was telling him to do. It didn't quite seem right of him to shove Shuuhei onto the streets without a second thought. Moments passed, and Renji snapped out of his thoughts to find the brunette giving him a look of subtle suspicion.

His head cocked to the side in question.

"... how'd you know that I was gonna go off and die?" Shit, there was the question. Well, he couldn't exactly deny anything now; he'd given himself away on his own. "It's sort of a long story," Renji said, voice stern enough to deter an asking of the question. From the look that Shuuhei gave him, he assumed that he got the point across. They settled into silence once again, their breathing and the annoying ticking from the clock above spanning between them. Renji finally stood, unable to bear the quiet any longer.

He wandered into the kitchen and began to fix them a small lunch, his fingers working almost mechanically. The redhead hadn't gone to school the past two days, and he'd completely forgotten about that college application. There would be no way for him to finish it now, and his shoulders sagged at the thought. Tending to Shuuhei had robbed him of the one place he had been trying to get into for a very long time. He couldn't put the blame on the brunette though, because it wasn't exactly his decision that he had been saved. That didn't stop the heavy sigh that escaped him, and his fingers curled against the sink in frustration and defeat.

At the sound of the microwave beeping, his thoughts were swept away from him. Renji straightened and opened the door, yanking out the soup he had made for Shuuhei with a bit too much force. Several drops of scorching liquid splashed onto his hand and he hissed, waving it around in an attempt to relieve some of the paper. He thrust his hand into the spray of cold water coming from the sink, sighing with relief. His walk into the living room was sullen and quiet, Shuuhei's soup grasped in his hand.

"Hey you, wake up; I have some food for you." He nudged Shuuhei awake. Darkened grey eyes blinked up at him and he set the bowl down against the table, guessing that the brunette was too weak to eat on his own. Renji watched him as he ate his sandwich, Shuuhei's hand trembling horribly as he raised the spoon to his lips. He gave in, not wanting to watch him suffer, and took the spoon away from him, carefully beginning to feed Shuuhei.

This went on for about twenty minutes before his guest finally finished. Renji sighed and finished eating his own lunch. He went into the kitchen, carefully straightening everything up. The dishes were done and put away, the counters wiped, everything rested back into the cupboards where they were normally stored. Renji had to admit, he was a bit of a neatfreak.

He slipped back into the livingroom in silence, guessing that Shuuhei was asleep, but he was surprised to find the brunette sitting on the windowsill. Grey eyes were gazing out across the city, and his shoulders were weighted with tension and exhaustion. Renji wondered how the man had even gotten over there; blood spots led up to where he sat, and the arms Shuuhei was using to support himself were shaking with effort. He didn't want to disturb him, however; he was afraid he'd break an already fragile man.

Several minutes passed, Renji simply watching Shuuhei as he gazed at the outside world. He parted his lips to finally attempt to coax the male back onto the couch when a knock suddenly came at the door. Now who could that be? The delivery man? He had ordered a package a few days earlier ...

Renji had no idea how wrong he was.

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**Told you I update slower than a snail. Dx This chapter is a bit shorter because I didn't plan this one out. I figured the story needed a bit more development for everything I'm going to do. **

**Anyways, did anyone catch the foreshadowing? O: -Shi**


	3. An Old Friend

**Told you I was slow. ._. That's actually for a few reasons. One is that I wrote this entire chapter out and my laptop froze, so I lost it and got a bit discouraged. Another is that I didn't like the development, so I re-did my plans for this story. I think it'll be much nicer this way than the alternate, so I hope this chapter will be enough to tide you over until the next one. -Flops on ground-**

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Who he found standing outside the door was one of the people he least expected. Dirty blonde hair, tired blue eyes, and pale skin met his searching gaze. Renji's eyes widened; what was he doing in a place like this? Had he finally been shoved out?

"Tesra," he breathed.

Those eyes angled up to meet his own and the redhead thinned his lips at the display. He looked so thin and ragged, the cuts and bruises along his frame seeming to have grown since the last time they had seen each other, and that was nearly eight years ago. Renji stepped forwards, looking down the hall for any sign of other people, just waiting for _him_ to appear. He saw no one, and his hand latched onto Tesra's arm to yank him inside, closing the door and locking it almost immediately.

"What are you doing here?"

He saw the strain flicker through Tesra's body, as if he was going to fall over if he tried to talk. Renji completely forgot about Shuuhei for a moment; his only focus was the old friend standing in his doorway. "Mas- Nnoitra sent me here. A lot has changed ... since you left." The redhead narrowed his eyes at the sudden change in title. A lot certainly had changed, if Tesra looked this beaten down. Renji reached out and touched his shoulder, trying to ground the young man. His eyes widened a bit at the shaking, but he barely caught it; Tesra jerked away from him almost immediately. Was he angry at Renji for suddenly vanishing?

Renji let out a soft sigh, motioning to the couch. "Go sit down. I'll make you something to drink." The blonde complied without much resistance, plopping onto the couch with heavy movements. He padded into the kitchen, but his mind was already working through everything. Nnoitra and Tesra knew where he lived. Who else did? And just why was the blonde here to begin with? Too many questions. He grit his teeth, unsatisfied with everything at the moment.

How much longer did he have of complete peace?

Renji jumped when he seen Shuuhei in the kitchen. He'd forgotten about the brunette, and narrowed his eyes a bit. "I didn't give you permission to wander around my house," he said quietly. The injured man was staring off into the corner. "Tesra's here, most likely to confirm that I'm staying with you. I figured I'd hide away for now. Just make up a lie and tell him you know nothing, other wise we'll both be in trouble." The words were said so matter-of-factly that the redhead had no idea how to respond at first. "... I know that. Just stay in here until he's gone, got it?"

He didn't have time to question Shuuhei on how he figured Renji would know Tesra. He was already making some tea for his visitor, too lost in the task to pay attention anymore. But he did glance over at Shuuhei occasionally, watching the way he wheezed and flinched every so often. Blood spotted the floor around him, and Renji nearly growled at the man's stupidity. "Sit down in that chair. You're gonna kill yourself, standing around like an idiot all day."

Something like anger flickered across worn features, but Shuuhei slid into the seat with difficulty. His face contorted, but the moment he was sitting, his pain seemed to lessen some. The redhead set a cup of tea and some Tylenol by his hand. "Probably won't do much, but it'll help. Take it." He seemed a bit stronger, but Renji would tell that the brunette was still suffering; every movement spoke volumes of the things he was hiding inside. Shuuhei stared at the liquid for a moment before swallowing it down, and he trotted into the living room, holding the other small cup he had made for Tesra.

The blonde looked half asleep, swaying even through he was sitting on the couch. Renji set the cup into his hand and sat down in the chair, rubbing at his temples. It was a way for him to gather himself before he started to speak.

Tesra beat him to it. "This is ... a nice house, Renji-san."

He licked his lips and gave a small nod. "It's all I could afford. Ran out of money a few weeks after I left." Tesra's fingers flexed around the small cup and he refused to look at Renji, almost as if he was afraid. His eyes remained focused on the tea.

"You still with Nnoitra?" The two of them had been in a sort of relationship when he had left, the blonde more Nnoitra's servant than his boyfriend. Kind of like the relationship he had once had with Grimmjow, but Tesra's had been much better than his own.

"Y-yeah, I'm still with ma- Nnoitra. He's gotten better since you left ..." The sentence trailed off, and it didn't take much imagination for the redhead to see where it was going. "It's Grimmjow ... isn't it?" The question seemed to break his former friend, the blonde slumping forwards with his face in his hands. Renji was grateful that Tesra had set his tea on the table first.

"It's always Grimmjow. All he does is take. None ... none of these cuts are from Nnoitra. It's gotten better ever since Shuuhei joined the gang, but the moment he ran off, Grimmjow went on a rage. He ... he killed Yylfordt when he tried to calm him down." The redhead seen the tears well in those eyes, but Tesra wiped them away. Grimmjow had truly broken the young man. He'd been strong and graceful once, one of the best sharp shooters Pantera had. But now that he had seen his old friend again, not a trace of the old Tesra remained; he was hollow, stolen from.

And of course, Renji felt some of that pain too.

He let out a heavy sigh at the mention of Yylfordt. They had fought once, but after that, they had become good friends. They'd looked out for each other, and it was almost always Grimmjow, Renji, and Yylfordt when they went out together. Just the thought that Grimmjow would kill the long-haired blonde ... He hadn't realized how far, just how low, that his once-lover had fallen. Had he really become this heartless?

"Calm down, Tesra," he tried to soothe, voice low. The blonde waved his hand, signaling that he was alright. "I just ... Renji, I tried to get out of there a few months after you did, but Nnoitra wouldn't let me leave. He said we had to be there to make sure Grimmjow didn't destroy everything, that he remained sane. And he was, for a short while. But then we brought in a few new members, and he took an interest in one of them. No one has heard from her since."

Renji closed his eyes partway through, simply listening to Tesra as he was informed about all of this. But as he ran back over the words that had been spoken to that point, he looked back to the shaking blonde. "You mentioned something about Shuuhei. Just who is he?"

Tesra seemed to shuffle around for a moment, still focusing on the floor. His head was still hidden, dirty hair falling around thin shoulders. It had certainly gotten long since their last meeting.

"It's not ... it's not my place to talk about him. But we're looking for him. Grimmjow has been hurting everyone, attacking anyone that brings him back bad news. We need to either find him or Shuuhei's body. Otherwise he's never gonna stop ..." Renji frowned, sitting up a bit.

"Then why come to me, Tesra? What do I have to do with any of this?"

The question made Tesra go into another small shuffle. His body seemed to shrink even more, and Renji thought he heard a whimper leave that thin little body. "We want you to help us search for him. I-I know that you left Pantera, but we still need to get help in finding him. We don't wanna be abused by Grimmjow! Please, you have to help us, Renji!" The words were spoken in a quick jumble, so quick that Renji almost missed half of them. Tesra's voice was so filled with desperation that he almost decided to give Shuuhei away. But that was out of the question. Friend or not, he couldn't give Shuuhei to that evil man. But he couldn't just let Tesra suffer at the hands of his former tormentor.

Finally, after a long silence, he spoke. "I can keep a look out for this Shuuhei person, but I can't guarentee that I'll come find you when I see him. And I can't say whether or not I'm willing to help you just yet. You're my friend yes, but I have a new life now. I want nothing to do with Pantera, understand?" Tesra gave a weak nod and finally took a drink of the tea Renji had provided him.

He stood up. "I don't wanna send you home back to him, but you can't stay here. I'm not sure how you and Nnoitra found out about my new house, but I don't want anyone else but you showing up here, alright? And knock on the door four times so I know it's you." Tesra nodded once more and rose as well. Renji couldn't resist the urge; he stepped to the blonde and hugged him, just like they used to do all those years ago. "Just stay strong, alright? Once he realizes that Shuuhei is probably dead, he'll probably calm down a little. If not, send Nnoitra here and I'll deal with him. We'll get you out of there."

The thin male quivered against his chest, and Renji realized just how badly he was faring. Almost completely skin and bones. He bit his lip, his heart clenching. His friend was suffering because of his actions, of his decision to leave Grimmjow. But he couldn't go back, not now, not when he had finally gotten a normal life. "Time to go, Tesra. Just try to avoid him as much as you can." He walked the young man to the door, and didn't let go until he began walking down the hallway. Renji turned away, unable to face another person he was abandoning.

* * *

Later that night, Renji made a quick dinner for the both of them, his movements slow and weighted. His mind was weighed with thoughts, things racing through his mind and making him feel more than a bit disoriented, sick even. Yylfordt was dead, Shuuhei was in his living room, and Tesra was being abused. He wasn't sure how he had managed to stay sane up until this point, but he was. Renji pressed a hand to his forehead, sighing. That wasn't all either; Shuuhei was still dying from his gunshot wound. So he made up his mind.

There was only person he could call.

And that meant dealing with someone else from a past better left forgotten. The problem was finding the phone number for said person. He grimaced. Old friends were appearing everywhere nowadays. He should start getting used to it. Against his better judgement, he began to search through his little apartment, trying to find one little slip of paper that would save a man that he hardly knew. But he couldn't allow Shuuhei to die now; if he could save Tesra and everyone else, then he was certainly going to try.

At least, that's what his mind told him. His heart was pointing in a different direction.

Maybe his darker side hadn't fully been stripped away after all.


End file.
